BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 10, 2024
Originally built by Maine Central Railroad in the 1880s, the railway used to carry passengers to McNeil Point in Hancock, where they would board steamer ferries to cross Frenchman Bay to Bar Harbor. In 1931, the railway from Ellsworth to Hancock was discontinued. But you can still ride a train on a 13-mile section of the restored railroad, starting at the rail yard and boarding platform on Washington Junction Road in Hancock. Known as the Downeast Scenic Railroad, the experience is like stepping back in time. Or you can walk along a three-mile stretch of the former railway on the Old Pond Railway Trail.